


The Last Commander

by Gryffindor_by_birth



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Bellamy hates it, Canon Compliant, Clarke has a plan, F/M, Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series 04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 18:46:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12305379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gryffindor_by_birth/pseuds/Gryffindor_by_birth
Summary: The bunker has been opened, but all is not well.Octavia’s command didn't go as peacefully as one would have hoped.So now the grounders want their to be a commander of the old, one who carries the flame. As the only true night blood known, Madi is targeted.What will Clarke do to protect her "Daughter" from a life of blood and hard decisions.And how will her plan settle with a Bellamy who still hasn't come to terms with Clarke being alive.





	The Last Commander

**Author's Note:**

> Konichiwa Minna-san,
> 
> This idea had been roaming around my head for over a month now so I decided to put it to paper and share it with other fans. 
> 
> Please comment your views on the fic and also on my writing. 
> 
> Gomen in advance for any errors commited. 
> 
> Happy reading.

“Madi is to be the next Commander.” Gaia intones in a neutral voice, betraying no emotion. 

Madi hides behind Clarke, trying to make herself invisible to the stares of the assembled flame keepers. 

It had taken Clarke seven days to make peace with the miners from Eligus Corporation. It would have taken less but the arrival of the seven on the third day of negotiations had derailed her plans for a bit. In the end a compromise had been reached with the miners they would help remove the rubble and fish out the people trapped under the earth in return they’ll get a portion of their food and accommodation. 

When they finally opened the doors, they found chaos raging everywhere. Octavia’s rule had taken a turn for worse and the people were not happy with it or her. They had opened the door just when the people had been on the verge of mutiny. The joy of freedom and outside air had assuaged the resentment but after a few days murmurs of a revenge plot had surfaced.

It had been Indra whose spies had uncovered the rebellious plots, but instead of going to Octavia she had gone to Clarke. It wasn’t that Indra had developed a sudden camaraderie with Clarke or had forgotten or forgiven Clarke for locking the bunker door all those years ago,  but she respected Clarke and believed her to be someone who protected her own.

At hearing the news Clarke had leapt right into action. She had confronted Octavia, had made her aware about the consensus state of her people and had somehow convinced her to step down giving command of the wonkru to the ambassadors of the clans.

This move had abated the masses. Aso Clarke’s speech in which she reminded the populace of their champion’s benevolence which had given them all the chance to survive Praimfaya, could also have helped. 

But the populace was not happy having multiple people making the decisions either, most of the time no decision was able to be made all the ambassadors kept fighting with amongst themselves, trying to overrule everything the other said, trying to shift things in the favor of their clan. It seemed that even 6 years together in a confined space had broken their ‘my people first’ mentality. 

So it should have come as no surprise to Clarke when the flame keepers came for Madi intending to make her the next Commander, she should have prepared for the possibility but she hadn’t. So now she stood in front of the flame keepers without a plan to keep her daughter safe from a life of hard decisions and soul crushing actions.

“No she won’t be your Commander, she is just a child.”

“She is old enough,” Gaia said in that unfeeling voice of hers. “The clans need a Commander and she is the only true nightblood known to mankind.” Then turning to her fellow flame keepers she commands, “take her.”

The flame keepers move forward, and Clarke curses herself for forgetting her pistol in the rover, but before they can do anything Bellamy is at her side a gun pointed at Gaia. “Just you try,” he grits, his teeth blared. And the next moment the ringkru and Octavia has formed a protective defense in front of Clarke and Madi. Octavia and Echo stand on either side of Clarke their swords out in a defensive stance (the fierceness that had seemingly been empty from Octavia’s eyes for some time seemed to have returned). Monty, Harper, Murphy and Emori had their guns trained on various flame keepers and were standing in a wall formation in front of Clarke and Madi. 

“Take another step and you die,” Bellamy bellowed. 

Gaia holds up a hand halting her people’s advance, “Tomorrow is Ascension Day the natblida will come take up her rightful mantle or we will come with an army and make her do it.”

Before Clarke could reply Madi interjects, “This natblida has a name it’s Madi and she will never be your Commander.”

“Oh but once the flame is in you, you will be our Commander.” Gaia replied. 

“Oh go float yourself,” Madi snarled. A chuckle came from Raven and Murphy was snickering. 

Gaia gave no indication of having heard her and turned and left. 

Bellamy and the others kept their battle stances till they were out of sight, only then did they lower their guns and swords and all at once turned towards Clarke. 

“Oh how I’ve missed this part of the Earth,” Murphy drawled. Bellamy gave a small smile which disappeared as soon as his eyes locked with Clarke’s. This had been happening again and again one second Bellamy would be happy and as soon as he looked at Clarke his happiness would fade away. Clarke would have liked to talk to him about it but now was not the time, her daughter was in trouble. 

“You give the word and I’ll assassinate them all by tomorrow morning.” Echo spoke out dead serious. 

Clarke closed her eyes thinking, there had to be a way to save Madi without causing bloodshed. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to shed blood if it came down to it she would kill every last person before anyone had a chance to lay even a hand on her. But she didn’t want Madi’s life to be as bloody as hers had been she wanted to give her a chance to live not just survive. 

She opened her eyes and looked at her people, people that she had lost for over six years and her resolve strengthened she won’t let her people get more blood on their hands either. 

“I have a plan.”

***

They made their way to a weapons bunker Clarke and Madi had found on one of their excursions and had cleared to be used as a shelter for stormy days or for the days when Madi grew tired of sleeping in the rover.   
It was huge, larger than the bunker her and Bellamy had found in their first few days on the earth the only reason this wasn’t listed on the Ark’s records was because it was a private bunker. Some rich paranoid person who had believed that the world would be overrun by zombies had built it (Clarke read all about it in the guys digital journal that chronicled how he acquired every gun in the armory and his hysteria over a future zombie attack). Murphy lets out a whistle, “This is huge.”

“Nothing less than a castle for our princess.” Raven joked. Clarke cracked a smile, this camaraderie was what she had missed the most. 

The bunker was divided into three rooms: a bedroom, a hall and the biggest one: the armory. She led them all to the armory where there was a table and a few chairs set up.   
Madi had not left her side since the confrontation with the fire keepers, her hand clutched the end of her jacket. She had never seen her Madi be that afraid of anything she was one of the most badass people Clarke knew. But she guesses the idea of making decisions for most of the remaining humanity is a daunting for a 12 year old. 

“So what’s the plan?” Bellamy asks all gruff, his arms crossed. He doesn’t add in the usual ‘Princess’ and that hurts a little. But Clarke can live with it, this is familiar territory. She can’t live with it but now is not the time. “We hijack the ascension.” Everyone lets out whoops of approval. 

“Murphy and Emori you both will be stealing the flame from Gaia tonight around 3 o’clock not before that, let’s not give them any time to retaliate.”

“Why do I always get typecast as a thief?” Murphy grumbled. Everyone turned to give him a look even Madi forgot about her impending doom for a moment to stare at him incredulously.

“Well…. Moving forward, Echo you and Harper will be protecting Madi, you are not to leave her alone for even a second.”

Madi crossed her arms and gave Clarke a petulant glare. “I can take care of myself I don’t need ‘protectors’ following me around.” She finished with a huff.

Clarke let out a sigh then crouched down so she was level with her, placing a hand on her shoulder she said, “remember the stories I told you. What do all the heroes do?”

“Protect each other, always.” Madi mumbled out. 

“Does needing protection make them weak?”   
Madi gave a small imperceptible shake of her head. 

“But did they or did they not require the protection of others?” Clarke teased. 

“They… but… ” Madi let out with a sigh, finally uncrossing her arms. She looked at Echo and Harper, giving them her most superior expression, “you may protect me but only until this threat passes. Then I won’t let you child-sit me.”

Everyone let out a snicker, mood instantly lightened. Clarke raised her hand to her mouth to hide her laugh, “Okay Madi, only until these people realize how bad of a Commander you will make. Now can you please go collect some herbs we are short on?”

Madi looked like she was going to protest but then she just nodded and started making her way to the doors of the bunker, Harper and Echo followed. 

As soon as she was gone Clarke slumped, leaning against the table as if that was the only thing keeping her upright. 

In her periphery she could see Raven give Bellamy a look, and saw his jaw clench, and Raven gave him a look that promised murder. This was nothing new, Bellamy had been avoiding her since they had landed, only talking to her when absolutely necessary and that too in curt sentences. Clarke had noticed Raven giving him looks, first in exasperation then as time passed in anger.   
Right now Clarke didn’t care what was happening with him. Considering that it was something that had been on her mind for better part of some time, showed how rankled she really was. 

Clarke didn’t understand why Bellamy was being so weird with her, she didn’t understand him period. This had been really troubling as in past Clarke had prided herself in knowing every aspect of the man, from the way he folded his arms to the way his eyebrows furrowed. But now it was like he was a completely different person than the one that she had staked her life onto all those years ago. 

Whatever he was, it could be contemplated upon later, right now her daughter was in peril (yes Madi is her daughter after the time they spent together how could she be considered anything else). 

Clarke took a shuddering breath and stood up (on shaky legs but no one called her out on it). Raven had laid a hand on her shoulder as a sign of support for which she was grateful for, and which gave her the courage to ask her to do something that she wouldn’t have if the situation wasn’t so dire. 

“Raven can you hack the chip?” Clarke asked, steel in her voice.   
Raven looked bewildered, “aren’t we just going to smash the chip as soon as we have it?”

“No, that would cause an uproar. The flame keepers are able to ask for Madi to ascend because a lot of Grounders want a Heda who carries the flame. If we destroy the flame they would take arms and another war would erupt.” Her voice betrayed no fear or anxiety that was filling her to the brim. “

What does that mean, then why are we stealing the chip in the first place won’t that prompt them to take up guns against us anyway?” Monty asked a little hysterically. He was trying to not see the obvious solution but Raven was looking at her with her lips pursed she knew what Clarke was implying, and the look on Bellamy’s face told her that he knew too. Bellamy looked furious, it was the first emotion she had seen on him other than pure impassiveness that had been plastered there since he first saw her. Raven on the other hand was giving her a look of pity. 

Clarke ignored both, turned towards Monty and proclaimed, “We are gonna put the chip in me. I want you and Raven to hack it and change its settings so that it dies with the host’s death. This way the grounders won’t be able to retrieve the chip even after my death.” She took a deep breath here ignoring the sad looks that Raven and Monty were throwing her, instead she focused on Bellamy whose expression had graduated from fury to maddened fury. This expression of his which he had no right to wear after how he had been treating her gave her the boost to carry on. 

“The plan is this, Murphy and Emori steal the flame sometime after mid night. Then Raven and Monty will hack the chip so that the kill switch will be activated at my death. At sunrise we will hijack the clearing, form a protective circle and hold my ascension. Once the ascension is complete the grounders will have no choice but to heed me as the Commander like it was the case with Ontari.” She had resolutely been staring at a stain on the table for the entire duration of her spiel, but now she looked up and gathered the expressions on her people’s faces. Everyone except Bellamy had resigned expressions on their faces. 

“What happens when the grounders decide to attack anyway, they bring guns and open fire and you get killed?”

She doesn’t miss a beat “Octavia, you still have control over their armory right? Can you make sure no one gets access to the guns during the execution of the plan?”

Octavia looks a little startled at being addressed to directly but nods after a minute of hesitance “Me and Indra should be able to keep people away until after your ascension, but if a mob erupts it will be difficult to protect the gate.”

“Don’t worry about that, I will have the ambassadors swear fealty to me as soon as possible. I will not give anyone a chance to incite the people into forming any kind of resistance.”

“That is all fine and dandy,” Raven interjected, “but Clarke we don’t know if the chip will work with you or not, your blood isn’t is exact same as what Becca cultivated for herself. What if the chip kills you.”

“If that happens, you have to smash the flame make it so that they can’t make Madi into the Commander. Smash the chip and take Madi and run.” Clarke felt like something was squeezing her heart from inside as she continued, “I know that I am asking for a lot, shattering the flame will very well incite a mob and they will try to kill you but this is the only way I can think of protecting Madi. Please….”

Raven shook her head, “no need to ask babe, we will definitely protect Madi at all cost, and since when have we been afraid of some grounders trying to kill us.”

Clarke’s lips twitched upwards a little forming a half smile. But it turned into a frown just as fast when Bellamy intersected. “So you are just going to leave Madi orphan, take away her mother from her. Leave her with the knowledge that it was because of her that her mother died.”

“She will not be an orphan, my mom will take care of her and she will have all of you to protect her.” Clarke responded curtly. 

“So that makes it okay? You are gonna leave and let others take care of the mess you leave behind, like always.”

Clarke was seething, she noticed the rest leave the room, but she was too focused on Bellamy and the accusations being thrown her way. 

“Are we back to that? I’ve said this before I wasn’t ready to face the  people after what I had done and that I could leave because I knew they had you.”

“That’s all you do, isn’t it, dessert us and leave it up to me to pick up the pieces left behind.”

Clarke stood stunned for a moment, was this about… 

“Are you mad at me for being left behind, when you went to space?” she asked confused. She peered into his eyes realizing at the moment how close they were standing. 

“You weren’t left behind you decided not to come back on time, leaving m-us no choice…”

Clarke sobered, she put a hand on his shoulder much like he had done for her all those years ago, “Bellamy there was no way I could have made it back on time I was only halfway up the tower when you all blasted off, in no way was I making back on time. And if I hadn’t realigned the satellite all of us would have died. It was the only choice.”

For a moment she flashbacked to that moment six years ago when she had last uttered those words it was a lifetime ago, she had been so hell-bent on making sure that he realized that he might have to face her death… now it all seems so futile, she had made him prepared to deal with her death but had left him totally unprepared for facing her alive and left behind. 

While she was contemplating this a frown had formed on Bellamy’s face, “so you were prepared to die?”

“If it meant you all got to survive yeah I was okay with i-” she didn’t get to finish her sentence as she was suddenly kissed. 

It took her a moment to realize that Bellamy was kissing her. It wasn’t a very soft or loving kiss it was more on the bruising side. She stood there shell shocked until she felt the pressure lessen as Bellamy started to pull away with a sigh, her grip on on his shoulder tightened and she surged forward to press her lips on his, just a small peck. The peck though gave Bellamy the confidence to kiss her again. 

This time when his lips met hers they were slow and soft, comforting. Unlike any kiss she had received before, this one didn’t mean to lead anywhere, it just was. A reminder that they were alive and a question as to their future life.

This time Clarke was ready for it and she responded in kind, leaning further into him. Her hand moved from his shoulder to lock behind his neck pulling him closer. 

After what seemed like hours he pulled away resting his forehead on hers as if he didn’t want for there to be any distance between them anymore. They both were silent, no words were needed. There was no need to explain what had happened, why had it happened, they both knew this was coming, at some subconscious level both had realized their feelings for each other. 

His thumbs came up to the sides of her cheeks and she realized that she was crying. Her hand which was not busy clutching at his neck came up to rest on top of one of his, as she finally met his eyes. And for the first time since he had landed she could read Bellamy Blake again, his eyes were full of adoration and also sadness, he knew she was going to be risking her life again in a few hours and that she might not make it this time. 

“Right now let’s just enjoy this, okay. Let’s just remain silent and be with each other and then…. And then we’ll go face the world again. Together, like always. Yeah?”

Bellamy nodded his head, one of his hands moved from her cheek to her waist pulling her closer to him as he lowered his head to the juncture of her neck and shoulder to press light kisses there. Clarke strained her neck to give him better access as her hand moved from behind his neck to the back of his head to get tangled in his hair.   
For now this was enough, tomorrow she would have to be a leader again take the flame and protect her family, but right now in Bellamy’s arms she was safe and content. 


End file.
